Ag Calendar

North Dakota State University Extension has teamed up with South Dakota State University, SDSU Extension and regional partners to host the North American Manure Expo, which will be Aug. 15-16 at the Swiftel Center in[...]

The Nebraska Corn Board will hold its next meeting Wednesday, August 15 and Thursday, August 16, 2018 at Bayside located at 865 Lakeview West Rd, Brule, Nebraska. The Board will conduct regular board business and[...]

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has scheduled two workshops, focused on women landowners, to provide opportunities to discuss drainage issues that exist on their farmland. Excessive rains typically create drowned out spots in fields,[...]

Farmers and Ranchers are invited to attend a FREE clinic. The clinics are one-on-one, confidential farm finance and ag law consultations being conducted across the state each month. An experienced ag law attorney and ag[...]

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host multiple farmland leasing meetings during July and August at various times and locations throughout Iowa. The annual meetings are offered to address questions that land owners, tenants[...]

U.S. Grains Council Talks Grain Quality With Japanese Customers

Japanese commercial feed millers visited the Council’s office in Washington, D.C., in July for an annual corn quality information exchange meeting.

Procurement and quality assurance officials from four Japanese commercial feed millers visited the Council’s headquarters office in Washington, D.C., late last month for an annual corn quality information exchange meeting.

In addition to Council staff, representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (USDA’s FGIS) and North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) participated.

“This annual quality meeting is important to show appreciation for our Japanese customers,” said Tommy Hamamoto, USGC director in Japan. “Even though Japanese industry officials noted the presence of rocks, dust and low protein as issues for U.S. corn, they did not seem to have to point out serious issues such as mycotoxins and noted they were generally satisfied with the quality of U.S. corn.”

Earlier this year, the Council received reports of stones the size of corn kernels in shipments to Japan, which had to be picked out by hand because they could not be removed by sieves before going to roller mills.

The report served as an important reminder of how foreign material – including non-grain plant materials and other objects – inadvertently mixed with corn cargoes can undermine the reputation of U.S. grains. The U.S. grain supply chain as a whole must continue to pay attention to good handling practices, from seed development and equipment design to storage and transportation.

“It is important to hear the Japanese industry’s concerns, like the presence of rocks, to maintain the level of confidence in U.S. corn,” Hamamoto said. “In that regard, it is especially important to continue this annual meeting, even in years where there are no specific quality concerns.”

USGC staff in Japan and other markets globally talk regularly with customers about quality to hear their perspectives and share information about the U.S. grading and export systems.

Japan ranked as the second largest buyer of U.S. corn in 2016/2017, increasing imports nearly 30 percent year-over-year to the highest levels in nearly a decade at 13.5 million tons (nearly 533 million bushels). Japan also nearly doubled U.S. sorghum purchases to 183,000 tons (7.19 million bushels), the third largest buyer.